Saturday, May 15, 2010

Haldimand "Arena Twin Pad Proposal"

Dunnville group proposes twin pad funding idea

By Dave Dunham (President) Margaret Rose (Treasure) Bob Allen (Member) (For Volunteers of Maple Creek Leisureplex 2000 Inc.)

Letters
May 11, 2010

In support of Haldimand County making provisions for adding a second pad to Dunnville’s new arena – consultant F. J. Galloway justified doing so in his Feasibility Study as written:

“Based on the data for this study, this strategy would likely result in a twin pad in Dunnville, for the following reasons:

• The Dunnville Arena has an evidently higher utilization level and will have higher population growth over future years;

• Dunnville is further away from other arena facilities, while Cayuga is centrally located and has relatively shorter drive times to either Caledonia or Dunnville;

• Dunnville has a closer proximity to other population sectors that could be interested in using the facility or create a larger market for special event activities beyond ice use

The main reasons for building the second pad now are all too obvious:

• Haldimand wishes to be fair and equitable to its residents.

• If Dunnville only needs one pad for 15,000 residents, then West Haldimand only needs 2 pads for 30,000. Otherwise, if the West needs 4 pads for 30,000, then Dunnville needs 2 pads for 15,000. It is that simple.

• Building a second pad now will cost $4 million as quoted by two arena contractors – instead of $8 million later.

• Building the second pad now means the walking track will not be needed and its $250,000 cost can be used to reduce the cost of the second pad from $4 to $3.75 million.

• Building a second pad later would disrupt site parking and decrease site safety for about one year of construction.

• Dunnville residents have signed over 2,000 petitions to have their twin pad built now, because they know they need it.

• Only allowing for one pad in Dunnville is currently hurting fundraising and affecting confidence in our County.

• Building a second pad later is not a good business choice based on Ontario’s trend to build twin pads and not single pads.

• County staff and volunteers would not have to go through the costly planning, fundraising and building processes all over again if the twin pad is built now.

• To avoid passing an $8 million expense to the next Council and our trusting taxpayers.

Pay It Forward Plan:

Based on our County making provisions to add a second pad, Galloway’s professional justification for a twin pad in Dunnville, and current Ontario arena trends favouring twin pads; Maple Creek volunteers are proposing a “Pay It Forward Plan.”

• We will borrow $3.75 -4 million from a local bank or trust company to pay for our second pad now. With either private investors or our County as our co-signers for the loan.

• We will fundraise for the second pad to cover interest, principle, and to reduce the amount owing on the second pad, so we can save taxpayers and future Council over $4 million.

• Then, our future Council can realize the savings by paying for the balance of the loan from the $4 million saved.

• The “Pay It Forward Plan” will create a win-win-win scenario for this Council, our future Council and Haldimand taxpayers.

Let’s help make Haldimand a fair and equitable place to live!

Dunnville Sachem, May 11, 2010
http://www.sachem.ca/opinions/article/209780

13 comments:

  1. Donna why are you posting this crap? The arena is a done deal, no twin pad! Not like others I read on your blog you won't have my support come the fall!

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  2. I can't believe the shallow thinking and someone that doesn't understand the article that they have just read. You must not have anything to do with arenas or you are too old to appreciate them. Think outside the box. Wasn't it in the twenties that we got rid of our horses as our mode of transportation. This article isn't Donna's article but I give her credit for printing articles from all news of interest in our County. Your statement is more personal than producing any intelligent facts about the article. If I was in Donna's area for voting I would certainly support her. She seems unbiased and fair about everything.

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  3. It must be very embarrassing for the first writer to think that Dunnville is “crap.” Our county is smart by designing our arena for adding a second pad, because Dunnville only has half the ice time as the other end of the county. From what I understand this is a good. Now as parents and grand parents in Dunnville we have a chance to honor our county’s plans by helping to build our second pad for either $4 million dollars now or $8 million later. I just asked my 6 year old granddaughter, which choice she would make and she quickly held up four fingers. We are so lucky to have children who know how to make smart choices for their future, even at the age of six. Dunnville does need a two pad arena, because we have so many girls who want to play.

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  4. Smart grand daughter. I hope that we can count on our Councilors Lorne Boyko and Don Ricker to build our second pad now so we can save $4,000,000!!!

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  5. crap my daughter plats hockey in dunnville thay cheaper reg. because od icetime shortages ,13 out if the 19 games played out of town yes not icetime,, 1 practies every 2 weeks when averaged out, why is it that over 30 million has been spent on the west end and 12 in the east ..how much icetime will there be in cayuga if hagersville and calidonia choose to use the earlier icetime then the late night in there own
    Dunnville maple creek plan for a twin pad ,, was to compete with pt colbourne , smithville new rinks twin pads with swimming pools ..guess were \dunnville kids that can afford it will go , they had plans for indoor soccer ,tennis , lacrosse ,fairs , concerts all gone ,, this arena is a joke with a community hall that will kill the legion, optimst , kinsmen and the new lowbanks hall,, great planning by the county,,
    halidmand county is the butt of alot of jokes to next door towns ,, justy look at the staff turn over and the kids running the departments ,,god help us ,,

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  6. This plan shows how the private sector along with a local arch, from dunnville who has built over 41 rinks in canada ie and the county never used ,, could pull this off,,
    it to bad we have county staff who run the county like commiunists , control control more bylaws to surpress the public ,,as one staff member said i am tired of the public telling us how to do things we will tell you and you will do do it..just look at the soccerpark you make an agreement you build it for free and then they screw up

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  7. c
    Count on Boyko and Ricker lol lol
    lets see b round house gone , hospital looses 500,000 grant fro the county, Boyko for 4 years no arena on Ramsey Dr ohhh were is it going now ??lol lol and he ll be there put the shovel in , i know were i would like to put the shovel???? they have to go NOW

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  8. Thanks for your comments.

    We each have our own opinions and reasons why we agree or disagree with someones opinions.

    This issue like most issues has more than one side to it, and the reasoning that goes with each opinion. This group is voicing their opinion in respect to not only the usage but the costing and a report that was paid by our tax dollars.

    It will be interesting to see what the outcome for the tax payers will be when both arenas are complete.

    Will many be asking why we didn't get a double pad afterall? Just a thought!

    As most of you know I am running for Ward Councillor in Dunnville. I have been actively campaigning and I can tell you that I am hearing many, many opinions and concerns.

    Here are some of the questions and concerns from residents in Dunnville;

    Why build an arena at all? How can we afford to build two arenas at the same time? Why isn't Dunnville getting its double pad? Why was a different group formed when the origional group is still active and incorporated? Why is the county not recognizing the origional group and stating in the paper that the ROC committee is the only recognized fundraising group for the Dunnville areana? Were we really shovel ready for the infrastructure funding, afterall the land had not even been purchased for Cayuga? When we come in over a year over the due date of March 31, 2011 will the Provincial and Federal governments still had over the money? If they don't what will happen to my tax bill? Why did this current council not put in a tax levy this year for the building of two arenas at a cost of millions and millions of dollars. How much do we still owe on the Caledonia Arena? In these hard times we should have spent this money on our roads not arenas that less than 5 percent of the population actually use. The walking track was an idea sparked by council, why are the residents having to pay for this enhancemnet? Why did council vote to build two areans when back months ago Councillor Sloat stated "one at a time", Councillor Boyko stated "let Cayuga have theirs first and Dunnville can wait", Councillor Dalimonte said that he wouldn't support a "2 percent tax levy", Councillor Grice stated can we even afford "one new arena".

    So as you can see many residents have many issues and many concerns, all just as important as the next!

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  9. Thanks Donna.
    We need more people like you in our County that can think with a fair and equitable business mind. You are right, no other city or county in Ontario is building two single pads arenas at the same time. In the arena profession, it is considered a very bad business practice! Just ask our many neighbors surrounding Haldimand…
    Bob Allen

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  10. cayugas arena is the result of dirty polotics by sloat and backed by all the rest of those gutless councillors They know cayuga could run their whole program out of Caledonia but buck sloat can,t curl in Calidonia . Cayuga is operating at 65% capacity and the majority of tha time is so buck can curl Is this why they say it.s political Buck?

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  11. why was Dave Dunham pushed off the arena group Iheard it was because he was fighting for a twin pad.Noone has done more for the kids of dunnvilleor knows more about an arena than he does Was it people who don,t know which end of the stick goes on the ice . they back stabbed the wrong guy. What goes around comes around There,s an election coming and I know three guys that need to go.then one of them can curl all day with the other two

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